Identifying humbuckers, Dimarzios?

[zeppelinpage4]

I’m going to check out a 2017 Les Paul classic this weekend. It’s got a pair of off white humbuckers and I was curious if there might be an easy way to identify them from how they look...or at least narrow it down. I can’t take them out to see the back unless I buy it, so I’m trying to determine what I can from inspection and how they sound.

Here’s a pic from the listing

I think it might be a DiMarzio but I’m not sure what model. I’m hoping they’re Super Distortions but I don’t know for sure. I heard DiMarzio PAF Pro’s are another common pickup used for Les Pauls.

Any ideas what I can check for when I see and play the guitar in person to narrow down what it might be?

Makes me appreciate Seymour Duncan writes the brand on the front haha.

 

[superpete]

really hard to tell from the pic, but are those gold pole pieces? looks like a standard slug/screw, if so, they are def not super distortions. the main thing is they are 100% aftermarket, so you should find out what they are before buying. Bring an extra set of strings, pop them out, and if you dont want the guitar give the guy fresh strings and thank him for his time.

 

[jeremy]

they arent paf pros or super distortions. without better pics, i dont think we can narrow it down too much. there are tons of pup makers out there these days

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

They have screw and slug coils. So if they’re DiMarzio it’s a PAF or any number of their other pickups with that configuration. Not Super Distortions.

Could also be Schaller Golden 50 pickups.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zeppelinpage4]

Wow! Thanks so much guys, I saw the double white pickups in the LP and got my hopes up it could have been a Super Distortion. Good to know it's not that.

Apologies for the poor image quality, it's actually a listing from a local Guitar Center, so that's the only photo I could get. But I'll try to take some up close and clear pictures of it in person when I go check it out.

really hard to tell from the pic, but are those gold pole pieces? looks like a standard slug/screw, if so, they are def not super distortions. the main thing is they are 100% aftermarket, so you should find out what they are before buying. Bring an extra set of strings, pop them out, and if you dont want the guitar give the guy fresh strings and thank him for his time.

Yeah , it's such a bad photo, I'm not 100% sure myself. It looked silver to me at first, but on second glance it may be a worn out gold. I'll take a good look at the pole pieces when I try it out in person and see if it's gold and what the slug/screws look like up close.

Good call on the strings, yeah I definitely don't want to buy without knowing just incase I need to sell the guitar or the pickups in the future. Saying "unknown" white pickups doesn't really help if I ever sell again. Since it's Guitar Center, are they pretty good about popping the pickups out? I can't imagine they'd be against if it I may be buying.

they arent paf pros or super distortions. without better pics, i dont think we can narrow it down too much. there are tons of pup makers out there these days

Okay, that's good to know I can rule those out. Really curious what these are now. I want a Les Paul with hotter pickups, so these may still be good if I can find out what they are.

I also wonder if these pickups are a real "upgrade" from the Classic 57's, or the prior owner held on to the nice pickups that were in it and put a cheap pair in before selling.

They have screw and slug coils. So if they’re DiMarzio it’s a PAF or any number of their other pickups with that configuration. Not Super Distortions.

Could also be Schaller Golden 50 pickups.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Got it, you guys have better eyes than me. I saw the Dimarzio's have unique looking pole pieces but couldn't tell if this had them or not from the photo.

I'll check out pictures of the Schaller and see how it compares in person. Hopefully the GC employees are willing to pop them out. Even if they sound great, I'll need to know for sure before buying.

 

[superpete]

Good call on the strings, yeah I definitely don't want to buy without knowing just incase I need to sell the guitar or the pickups in the future. Saying "unknown" white pickups doesn't really help if I ever sell again. Since it's Guitar Center, are they pretty good about popping the pickups out? I can't imagine they'd be against if it I may be buying.

if it's at a GC, you should be able to get them to do it if you tell them you can't buy it without knowing. They might have even checked when they bought it in and can just tell you. The nice thing is with their return policy you don't have to worry about getting burned on a craigslist les paul with $16 chinese humbuckers in it.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

if it's at a GC, you should be able to get them to do it if you tell them you can't buy it without knowing. They might have even checked when they bought it in and can just tell you. The nice thing is with their return policy you don't have to worry about getting burned on a craigslist les paul with $16 chinese humbuckers in it.

That's definitely reassuring to know. I'll ask them them, excited to find out what these will be, hopefully they'll be able to tell me. Guitar seems great otherwise, supposedly hand wired, orange drop caps, slim neck.